Meeting eases Staten Island boaters' fears of inaction

There were 350 slips at the marina before the storm. Boaters are hoping between 150 and 200 will be available when Nichols reopens to the public. Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The National Parks Service (NPS) gave Nichols Great Kills Park Marina the green light to be rebuilt in January, but those with strong ties to the South Shore vessel hub remain pessimistic. Time is ticking, they say, and they saw little effort under way to restore the valued site.

That was, until last Tuesday, when members of the Committee to Save Great Kills Park Marina Community met with NPS officials in Fort Wadsworth to discuss the situation. By the end of the afternoon meeting, folks with long ties to the marina were feeling good.

"They assured us we're the number one priority of Gateway National Park on Staten Island," said Committee member Fred DeLise, of Bay Terrace, who's been a fixture at the marina damaged by Hurricane Sandy for many years.

DeLise added that the agency said an underwater assessment of the marina would take place this week to determine the extent of damage. Equipment had arrived Sunday.

The NPS said the meeting was held to show the progress that's been made and explain the differences the agency is experiencing on how things are seen. Eight staff employees were present, as were representatives of Rep. Michael Grimm's (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) office, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer's (D-New York) office, and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-New York) office.

That's not the case, she said, adding that President Barack Obama signed the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill at the end of January, and since then, the assessment has begun.

"In government terms," she said, "that's fast as lightning."

Ms. Yun said the federal government legally has to take care of the situation in a certain way.

"This is the number one on our list of things to do, and we have been able to get things done quickly, at least in our eyes," she added.

Ms. Yun explained the assessment's findings should be available by the end of this month. Details will determine how many slips will be available.

"We're calling them temporary docks," she said, adding that a general management plan involves a possible marina relocation to the north side of Great Kills Harbor. "Everything depends upon the assessment."

Ms. Yun added underwater debris and the condition of the pilings will be focal points.

There were 350 slips at the marina before the storm. DeLise is hoping between 150 and 200 will be available when Nichols reopens to the public.

"That would serve our purpose right now and we'll take it from there," he said.

Marina users who had their boats destroyed by the storm have been forced to sit on their hands while they wait for work to get done.

"Nothing has been ordered yet," said DeLise, regarding vessels.

However, he and other anxious boaters understand the process. Since the meeting, they're remaining positive and letting the restoration steps unfold.

"As long as the assessment is OK, I see us being back there in the summer, but probably not the spring. I'm an optimist. They seem genuine in what they were telling us. They all seem to be on the same page," said DeLise.

Following the storm, the Parks Service initially maintained that services for the 2013 "are not possible" due to storm damage and imposed an April 15 deadline for relaunching boats removed from the water for winter. Later, that stance was reversed following a meeting with Grimm and Schumer, the Advance reported in January.

In the end, the NPS agreeing to extend the lease of marina operator Marinas of the Future Inc. for three years. The three-year emergency contract extension is the maximum allowed by law, said Schumer in January.

The NPS encourages interested individuals to visit their Gateway Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gatewaynps. The Committee's Facebook page can be found by searching "Save Great Kills Park Marina Community" on the social networking website.